Heartbeats (om hold)

Chapter Three

"I like green, but whatever you want."

"I wanted blue."

"Fine! Then I'll take it back!"

Becca shrunk back a little. "Are you mad?"

"No, I'm not mad!"

"You seem mad."

"Yes, I'm mad, Becca! You told me to get the color of paint I wanted and now you don't want it. You should have said you wanted blue!"

"Is there anything else you're mad about?" she asked, touching his arm.

"Lots of things," Ty sighed, pushing off her hand. "Doesn't mean I'm going to say them out loud."

"You can tell me anything though."

"Can I really?"

Becca looked at him. She really looked him. He looked miserable. Liz probably hadn't talked to him in almost three months, as far as she knew. Would he be like this for the rest of her pregnancy? That's four months to go, and negativity is bad for little Austin. She almost felt bad as she looked at him. Maybe she should just tell him the truth. Everything would go back to normal and then he wouldn't be all depressing.

Normal.

Becca hated normal. The way everything was before. When everything was normal. Being left out by Gavin, Ty, and Liz. What did she ever do to hurt them? Liz was the mean one, couldn't Ty see that? That's why she made this plan.

Everything would be fine. And now Liz knows how she felt. This is why Ty can't know the truth. Why no one can know the truth. Not even her family. Everything would be fine, though. Austin would look like her. Not Ty, obviously.

If only she could get Ty to like her.

________________________________________________________________________

Liz looked at me, and then she looked away.

She turned to whisper something in Kelly's ear. Probably, "Why is he here?" I didn't blame her.

I sat in the seat next to Gavin, across from Liz. She avoided my gaze.

"Becca didn't come?" Gavin asked.

"She's pregnant. Do you honestly think she wants to come to a bar?" I said in disbelief. Okay, I lied, actually. I didn't ask Becca if she wanted to go out with the four us. I get enough of her already. And I was afraid of what would happen between Liz and Becca. They hadn't talked since before Liz left to go to her visit her family, I think.

"I just figured . . . Never mind."

"Besides," I said, taking a swig of beer, "you probably would have gone off on her if she drank while pregnant," I said to Liz.

She managed a small smile. "I think she has enough sense in her to not drink while pregnant," she said.

"I'm gonna go get us some shots," Kelly said. "Come help me, hon?"

"Okay," Gavin said.

When they were out of earshot, Liz asked me, "So how are things going? You know, preparing for a baby and all?"

"Fine," I said. Torture, I thought.

"You know, I was at her last ultrasound." She stirred her margarita with her straw.

"You were?" I asked.

"Yeah, Nurse Chamblin was out that day so they had me fill in for her," she explained. "For practice, I guess. I was wondering why you weren't there?"